1933 Map of Roanoke

About this map

Roanoke serves as the industrial and transport heart of this valley, where the Norfolk and Western and Virginian railroads intersect along the Roanoke River. The 1933 landscape reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, from the historic seat of Fincastle in the north to the expanding campus of Hollins College. This survey captures the region before major mid-century suburbanization, showing a tapestry of family-scale education and faith at sites like Fancy View Sch, Howells Chapel Sch, and Jones Chapel. The terrain is strictly defined by the ridges of Tinker Mountain and the Blue Ridge, which forced early travel corridors like the Lee Highway to navigate specific gaps and hollows. Local water power and early industry are evident at Glebe Mills and Howell Mills, marking the transition from a purely agrarian economy to a regional commercial hub.